Vashon fire academy graduates 15

A graduation ceremony was held at Vashon Island Fire & Rescue on Saturday, May 31, to celebrate the accomplishments of its newest members. Fifteen firefighters graduated from the recruit academy and were presented certificates by Captain Candy McCullough and Lieutenant Rick Brown.

Awards were presented by Battalion Chief Cari Coll for individual accomplishments. The fire academy valedictorian award went to Paul Schuster, for having the highest cumulative written test scores. The recruits voted Chris Coley “most inspirational.” The academy instructors voted for the “outstanding recruit,” which resulted in a tie between Jesse Abercrombie and Chris Coley. Coll, the class coordinator and drillmaster, selected Cory Wallace for the “drillmasters award,” based on positive attitude, level of improvement and work ethic.

For the EMT class, the valedictorian was Joshua Foley. The King County EMS instructors voted for Corby Christensen and Jocelyne Weller to both receive the “outstanding leadership award.” During the ceremony, speeches were conducted by Coll, Fire Chief Mike Kirk, Jason Everett, Paul Schuster (on behalf of the fire academy) and JoJo Weller (on behalf of the EMT class).

Vashon Island Fire & Rescue will be accepting applications in July for the next recruit academy, which starts in late August.

We encourage an open exchange of ideas on this story's topic, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. Personal attacks, inappropriate language, and off-topic comments may be removed, and comment privileges revoked, per our Terms of Use. Please see our FAQ if you have questions or concerns about using Facebook to comment.